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IT'S a competition that has been around since the 1940s, but what does the future hold for the Bendigo Football-Netball League reserves grade post COVID?
There has been a familiar story in recent of years of clubs facing a constant battle to fill their reserves team, which is often a revolving door of players from one week to the next.
But could that battle to get enough numbers for reserves teams become even more difficult next season if players lose their motivation to continue playing after having this year off due to the open-age competitions being called off because of the COVID impact?
Or could it go the other way - players, even those who don't take their footy too seriously and are content to have a low-key run around with their mates in the midday game, appreciate what they've missed out on this year and come back in droves next season?
While it's not the senior main event and doesn't provide the glimpse to the future that the under-18 competition does, sandwiched in between on a Saturday the reserves certainly play a crucial role in the fabric of a football-netball club.
Whether it's the heart-and-soul characters of a club who may be well past their prime but still cherish donning their club guernsey each week, perhaps a past great who has been coaxed back to pull the boots on to help out, a young up-and-comer not quite ready for senior football just yet, or a senior player who needs a week back in the twos to regain some form and confidence, the reserves still has its role to play.
And it's a role it has been playing in the BFNL since its introduction in 1945 when - just like it would with the under-18s in 1954 - Golden Square beat Eaglehawk in the inaugural grand final, 5.9 (39) to 0.7 (7).
Golden Square is one of three clubs that have dominated the BFNL reserves through its 75 seasons.
Between Sandhurst (19), Golden Square (16) and South Bendigo (15), they have combined for 50 of the league's reserves flags.
The trio have also been runners-up a combined 38 times.
Golden Square holds the mantle as the only club to have won four-consecutive reserves premierships when it did so between 1963 and 1966.
At the same time the Bulldogs also played in three senior grand finals and won two flags (1964 and 1965), highlighting the depth the club had through that period.
The Bulldogs of 1964 and '65 are two of 20 years in the competition's history where a club has won both the senior and reserves flag, while there has been another nine seasons where the senior premier has also had their reserves play off in the grand final, but be beaten.
Following Maryborough's 2010 triumph over Sandhurst, all 10 clubs in the competition have won at least one reserves flag, while former clubs Echuca (1969) and Rochester (1950 and 1958) are also on the reserves premiership honour roll.
Kyneton has the longest reserves premiership drought stretching back to 1975 when it beat Sandhurst by 33 points.
Eaglehawk's Dwayne Smith holds a unique place in BFNL reserves history as the only player to have won the league's reserves McDonald Medal four times.
Named after BFNL Hall of Fame inductee and five-time South Bendigo premiership coach Alan McDonald, Smith won the medal in 2001 (tie with team-mate Shaun Major), 2002, 2008 and 2010.
Also a prolific winner has been Nathan Newlan, who won the medal with Kangaroo Flat in 2015-16 and South Bendigo in 2018.
RESERVES HISTORY:
CASTLEMAINE
Premierships - 4
1956 - def Golden Square
1981 - def Sandhurst
1996 - def South Bendigo
2000 - def South Bendigo
Runners-up - 3
...........................................
League Medal - 8
1961 - Des Ray
1964 - Robin Hilson
1965 - Alan Culpitt
1974 - Warren Jones
1984 - George Pavlou
1990 - Dean Slingo
1995 - David Annand
2003 - Guy Marshall
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 38
Finals series - 0
Finals won - 0
EAGLEHAWK
Premierships - 8
1948 - def South Bendigo
1951 - def Sandhurst
1953 - def South Bendigo
1978 - def Golden Square
1980 - def Kyneton
1999 - def Castlemaine
2003 - def Gisborne
2004 - def Gisborne
Runners-up - 17
...........................................
League Medal - 14
1958 - Arthur Gilbert
1969 - Roy Keene
1970 - Roy Keene
1971 - Ken Gill
1972 - Graeme Brown
1989 - Andrew Evely
1996 - Kent Weightman
1998 - Matt Pollock
2001 - Dwayne Smith
2001 - Shaun Major
2002 - Dwayne Smith
2008 - Dwayne Smith
2010 - Dwayne Smith
2014 - Luke Rundell-
Gordon
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 137
Finals series - 7
Finals won - 9
GISBORNE
Premierships - 4
2002 - def Sandhurst
2005 - def South Bendigo
2008 - def Eaglehawk
2011 - def Sandhurst
Runners-up - 3
...........................................
League Medal - 5
2006 - Brenton Faulkner
2011 - Marc O'Riley
2014 - Jason Duff-Tytler
2017 - Aaron Storie
2019 - Hayden Doricic
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 122
Finals series - 8
Finals won - 5
GOLDEN SQUARE
Premierships - 16
1945 - def Eaglehawk
1954 - def Sandhurst
1955 - def Kyneton
1963 - def Eaglehawk
1964 - def Rochester
1965 - def Kyneton
1966 - def Kyneton
1974 - def Sandhurst
1976 - def Sandhurst
1985 - def Kennington
1986 - def South Bendigo
1987 - def Sandhurst
1991 - def South Bendigo
1997 - def South Bendigo
2013 - def Eaglehawk
2015 - def Eaglehawk
Runners-up - 8
...........................................
League Medal - 12
1953 - Doug Wilson
1954 - Doug McHardy
1954 - Bill Rodda
1955 - Keith James
1956 - Keith James
1962 - Brian Orchard
1966 - Lloyd Evans
1968 - John Hepworth
2005 - Josh Sharpe
2011 - Jamie Garner
2011 - Luke Rosa
2012 - Jamie Garner
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 132
Finals series - 8
Finals won - 12
KANGAROO FLAT
Premierships - 2
1982 - def South Bendigo
1983 - def Golden Square.
Runners-up - 0
...........................................
League Medal - 4
1982 - Geoff Hodge
2013 - Troy Cravino
2015 - Nathan Newlan
2016 - Nathan Newlan
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 66
Finals series - 1
Finals won - 0
KYNETON
Premierships - 1
1975 - def Sandhurst.
Runners-up - 4
...........................................
League Medal - 11
1952 - Stan Plowman
1959 - Tom Maddern
1973 - Keith Holland
1975 - Graham Allen
1979 - Colin Cooney
1980 - Dennis Sheppard
1981 - John Aiello
1999 - Bobby Beare
2000 - Mark Cheep
2004 - Colin Hanna
2005 - Terry Mangan
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 40
Finals series - 1
Finals won - 0
MARYBOROUGH
Premierships - 1
2010 - def Sandhurst.
Runners-up - 1
...........................................
League Medal - 1
1994 - Michael Shiell
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 32
Finals series - 1
Finals won - 3
SANDHURST
Premierships - 19
1946 - def Golden Square
1947 - def South Bendigo
1952 - def Eaglehawk
1961 - def South Bendigo
1962 - def Rochester
1967 - def Golden Square
1968 - def South Bendigo
1971 - def Eaglehawk
1972 - def South Bendigo
1973 - def Echuca
1977 - def Eaglehawk
1979 - def South Bendigo
1992 - def South Bendigo
1995 - def Castlemaine
1998 - def Eaglehawk
2012 - def Strathfieldsaye
2014 - def Golden Square
2016 - def Golden Square
2018 - def Strathfieldsaye
Runners-up - 13
...........................................
League Medal - 7
1954 - Bill White
1957 - Ken Slattery
1976 - Roy Wood
1978 - Don Moffat
1987 - Mark Robinson
1992 - Adam Makeham
2007 - Sam O'Connor
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 157
Finals series - 9
Finals won - 14
SOUTH BENDIGO
Premierships - 15
1949 - def Eaglehawk
1957 - def Rochester
1959 - def Rochester
1960 - def Sandhurst
1970 - def Echuca
1984 - def Golden Square
1988 - def Castlemaine
1989 - def Eaglehawk
1990 - def Eaglehawk
1993 - def Sandhurst
1994 - def Maryborough
2001 - def Eaglehawk
2006 - def Eaglehawk
2007 - def Sandhurst
2009 - def Gisborne
Runners-up - 17
...........................................
League Medal - 7
1970 - Trevor Lee
1977 - David Tuddenham
1983 - Barry Hayes
1988 - Rod Cousins
1997 - Shane Coutts
2009 - David McCormick
2018 - Nathan Newlan
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 98
Finals series - 8
Finals won - 7
STRATHFIELDSAYE
Premierships - 2
2017 - def Eaglehawk
2019 - def South Bendigo
Runners-up - 2
...........................................
League Medal - 1
2012 - Dale Cameron
...........................................
Past Decade (2010-19):
Total wins - 131
Finals series - 7
Finals won - 10
50 MOST DOMINANT FLAG SEASONS IN BFL, HDFL, LVFL SINCE 1990 - THE LIST SO FAR
No. 30 & 29 - Maryborough 1998; Gisborne 2005
No. 32 & 31 - South Bendigo 1994; Golden Square 2009
No. 34 & 33 - Castlemaine 1992; South Bendigo 1990
No. 36 & 35 - Mitiamo 1999; Sandhurst 2016
No. 38 & 37 - North Bendigo 2019; Leitchville-Gunbower 2018
No. 40 & 39 - Bridgewater 1991; Calivil United 2017
No. 42 & 41 - Heathcote 1992, Sandhurst 2004
No. 44 & 43 - Eaglehawk 2008, Elmore 2007
No. 46 & 45 - Mount Pleasant 1990, Newbridge 2018
No. 48 & 47 - Gisborne 2006, Calivil United 1990
No. 50 & 49 - Calivil United 2003, Eaglehawk 2018
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